Rotary-cylinder drier.



Patented Aug. I, |899.

K c. M. KEMP.

RUTARY cYLlN'nf-:H omen.

(Application filed Juno 4, 1898.)

No Muriel.)

UNiTnD STATES PATENT FFICE.

ROTARY-CYLI SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters P NDER DRIER.

atent No. 630,059, dated August 1, 1899.

' Application filed June 4t, 189B. Serial No. 682,536. (N0 model- To all whom t 'may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENcn M. KEMP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary-Cylinder Driers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in drying-machines, and more particularly to that class of driers especially adapted for drying fertilizing material of various kinds; and it has for its object to improve the general construction of machines of 4this class, so as to render them simpler in construction, cheaper to manufacture, and more effective in operation.

It is one purpose of the present invention to construct a drier in such a manner that the greatest possible heating eiect may be obtained from the least expenditure of heat units.

It is a further purpose of the invention to provide a novel form of drying-cylinder composed of a plurality of sections arranged end to end, and'to provide means for rotating different sections in different or reverse directions, so as to thoroughly agitate, break up, and cascade the material before a strong current of heated air, which thereby permeates the material and dries out the moisture therefrom. It is still another purpose of the invention to arrange a drying-table adjacent to the drying-cylinder in such a manner that the material being treated or dried, after passing' through said cylinder, will be delivered upon said drying-table and there be subjected to a second drying, the heat utilized for said drying-table being the exhaust from the dryingcylinder.

The invention further comprises means for agitating or stirring the material after it is delivered upon the drying-table, said agitating means being operated through suitable connections with the drying-cylinder.

The invention further comprises a novel and simple form of conveyer-wheel for delivering the material from the drying-cylinder upto the redrying-table, said conveyer-wheel being attached to and operated by the said cylinder. i

Finally, the invention comprises certain other novel features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described and then more definitely pointed out in the claims which conclude this specification.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to understand, make, and use my said invention, I will proceed to describe the same in detail, reference being made for this purpose to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure lis a longitudinal sectional view of a complete drying-machine constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the conveyer-wheel, taken on the line o@ or of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the drying-table and raking attachment. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the raking attachment removed. Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the dryingcylinder, taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. l. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the injector-nozzle.

Referring now to the drawings, the reference-numeral l designates a drying-cylinder, which is composed of three or more tapering sections, as shown, said sections being telescopingly connected together at their adjacent ends in any suitable manner, so that the end of one section will revolve freely within the end of the other. In the present instance I have shown a band 2 and a flange 3 on each cylinder, the ange fitting over the band to make a close joint, and said flange also serving as a trackway and running over supporting-rollers 4, whereby the cylindersections are properly supported and mounted so as to revolve freely. The front end of the first cylinder-section is closed by a stationary head 5, fitted with a groove, within which the said end of the cylinder freely rotates, and projecting out from said head is a hollow mouth or pipe 6, through which the flame from the burner 7 passes into the cylinder. This hollow pipe or mou th is prcfcrabl y lined with tirebrick or other heat-resisting material, which serves to protect the said pipe from the effects of the cxtreme heat to which it is subjected. The opposite end of the cylinder is supported in a fixed bracket or bearing 8, and each cylinder-section is provided upon its eX- IOO terior with a gear-ring 9, by which the said sections may be rotated. A main drive-shaft 10, carrying a pulley 1l, is journaled at its ends in the cylinder-head 5 and bracket or bearing 8, and upon said shaft are fixed three pinions 12 13 14, the pinions l2 and 14 being geared directly to the gear-rings 9 on the two end cylinder-sections to rotate said sections in unison in the same direction. The pinion 13 meshes with a gear l5 upon a short shaft 16, said shaft carrying a second gear 17, which meshes with the gear-ring 9 on the middle cylinder-section and rotates said section in a direction opposite to that of the two adjacent cylinder-sections. I also contemplate selecting the gear-wheels so that the different sections may be operated at a different rate ot' speed if so desired. In this manner it will be seen that the material as it passes through the cylinder-sections will be dropped in a reverse manner before the heated current, the first and third sections causing the material to drop in one direction and the middle section causing it to be pitched in another and reverse direction.

The speed given the sections is such as to cause the blades to carry considerable amount of the material up to or nearly up to the top before the force of gravity will cause itto descend. A certain definite speed is given, as a speed too great would keep the material close to the cylinder and would not let it drop and a slow speed would let the material drop long before it reached the top.

The cylinder-sections are each provided with longitudinal lifting-blades 18 and transverse heat-defiecting partitions 19, said partitions being of a length sufficient to extend only about one-third way around the interior of the cylinder, 'and they are placed atintervals in a spiral manner throughout the entire length of the cylinder, as clearly shown in Fig. l of the drawings. These partitions serve to deflect and interrupt the passage of the heat through the top part of the apparatus, which its natural tendency is to do, and

'to cause it togo through the material cascaded before it, so as to utilize as much of the heat as possible beforeit escapes from the cylinder.

To the end of the last cylinder-section Iattach a conveyer-wheel, which consists of a circular trough-shaped receptacle 20, as shown in detail in Fig. 2, said receptacle carrying a plurality of buckets 21 upon its interior and a plurality of radially-proj ectin g arms 22 upon its exterior for a purpose presently to appear. This conveyer-wheel, it will be seen, is secured to and rotates with the last cylindersection, and is arranged to receive the material as 'it passes out through the end of the cylinder and delivers the same upon a redryin g-table presently to be described. In order to properly direct the material into the conveyer-wheel as it issues from the cylinder, I have provided an inclined plate 23 at the end of the cylinder, about on a level with the bottom of the same, the lower end of said inclined plate being directed toward the trough of the conveyer-whee'l.

At the end oi' the cylinder and elevated slightly above the same I have provided a redrier, which consists of an inclined table 24, having an upwardly-extendingledge or flange 25 at its lower end and on two sides, and opening into the lower end of the table are a series of discharge-tubes 26, through which the material may pass after it has been thoroughly dried. The upper end of the table is provided with two openings or cut-away portions, as shown in Fig. 3, to accommodate for the rotation of the conveyer-wheel, and intermediate these two openings the table extends slightly backward and upward, as at 27, in order to receive all the material as it is delivered from the conveyer-wheel.

In order to thoroughly agitate the material after it has been delivered upon the dryingtable, I have provided an oscillating rake, (shown in Figs. 3 and 4,) which consists of a plate 28, having a rearwardly-extending arm 29, pivoted at its end 30 to any suitable support. The said plate carries a series of teeth or blades 31 upon its under side, the ends of which rest directly upon the heatingtable, and theyare preferably inclined toward the rear or lower end of the table, so as to feed the material along while at the same time agitating it. The rake is oscillated by means of the radial arms 22 on the conveyer-wheel coming into contact with the rearwardly-extending arm 29. As this wheel rotates the arms 22 will successively engage and push the rake over to one side of the table, and as soon as the arm 29 is free the blade will be immediately drawn back .to the opposite side of the table by means of a cord 32 and weight 33, said cord being attached to the arm 29 and passing over a pulley 34, as clearly seen in Fig. 1. By this arrangement it will be seen that I provide a raking attachment which is oscillated by the movement or rotation of the drying cylinder in a simple and effective manner.

In order to convey away the heated current after it leaves therotating drier and after it has heated the inclined table 24, I have provided a cover-plate 35,whicl1 deiiects the heat as the current passes between it and the material on the table 24 and causes the same to passupward from the table and out through a stack 3G, which is provided on top with a hood or cap 37. I prefer to arrange a series of open partitions, formed by inclined strips 3S, in the upper part of the stack to check the ascent of the exhaust-current to condense it, and thereby cause it to deposit or precipitate the particles of material carried upward by the heated current. Such suspended particles will adhere to the strips and iinally fall back upon the table and are a valuable addition to the product that otherwise would be lost.

The material to be dried is fed in at the front of the cylinder-head through a hopper IOO IIO

39, within which is located a feed-wheel 40, mounted upon a shaft 4l and receiving its motion through a pinion 4t2 from thc gearring 9, as will be seen by referring to Fig. I.

My improved injector, as illustrated in section in Fig. t3, comprises a cup or bulb 42, having an air-inlet pipe 43 at its rear end and a gas-inlet pipe ett near its front end. The cup or bulb is divided into two chambers by a transverse partition 45, said partition carrying a series of air-pipes 46, which extend outward and project through similar, but larger, gas-pipes 47, secured to the front wall of the cup or bulb, and these two sets of pipes convey a supply of air and gas, which is ignited and injected into the mouth 6 of the dryingcylinder in an intensely-heated and forced stream, it being understood that the air-supply is derived from some suitable air-forcing device, as will be well understood. The mouth of the pipe 6 is made tapering, as shown, and it constitutes the combustion-chamber for the ignited gases. As the gas ignites it naturally expands. Hence the mouth is made tapering, so as to accommodate for such expansion,

' and thereby aid combustion and insure a rapid passage of the heated gas into the cylinder to which it is attached. This construction prevents a backiiow of the heated gas and renders the injecting power of the burner more effective.

The operation of the machine will be apparent from the foregoing description and following statement.l The material to be dried is placed in the hopper 39 and falls into the first cylinder-section, where it is taken up by the blades as the cylinder revolves and is thrown in aconstant shower before the heated current of air, which heat iiashes through the material and evaporates and carries off the moisture therefrom, and the pitch of the revolving cylinder and the force of the heated current both cause the material to be moved gradually rearward. In carrying out this operation with a single cylinder-section there is found to be a space in the cylinder in which there is 110 material being dropped, and the heat, following the law of iiuids to pass through the line of least resistance, will naturally pass through this space rather than through the body of material, and consequently it does not have full edect upon the material being dried. To avoid this objection, I provide another section of cylinder to revolve in a reverse direction to the first section, and this catches the material passed from the first cylinder and showers it in a reverse direction to the first cylinder, and then a third section of cylinder operating in a similar way to the first one, but reverse to the second. Other sections may be added and the system extended, if desired, and in this manner the full power of the heat is applied to the material and a wonderful economy is effected. The material after passing through the cylinder-sections finally falls into the conveyer-wheel, from whence it is carried up and delivered upon the drying-table, where it is thoroughly agitated by the oscillating rake and fed downward by the inclined blades until at last it falls through the dischargetubes at the bottom of the table in a thoroughly dry condition, from where it maybe conveyed away by any suitable means.

By the construction described it will be seen that the redrying-table is heated by the exhaust-heat which issues from the dryingcylinder, and I thereby utilize the heat to its fullest extent.

IVhile I have shown .but three cylindersections, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to this exact number, for it will be obvious that I may use a greaternumber, if so desired, or I may employ only two sect-ions. Likewise it will be understood that my improved form of reheating-table and conveyer-wheel may be employed in connection with other forms of driers than the one here shown.

Minor details in the construction of the various parts may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Vhat I claim isl. In a drier, a plurality of horizontal cylinder-sections, mounted end to end to form a continuous cylinder, and means for rotating different sections in different directions.

2. In a drier t-he combination with a dryingcylinder having an open discharge end, of a drying-table arranged at one end of said cylinder so as to be heated by the exhaust-heat from the latter, means for conveying the material onto the table after it has passed through the cylinder, and a series of discharge-tubes at the lower end of the table.

3. In a drier, the combination with a horizontal cylinder, of a drying-table located at the discharge end of said cylinder and arranged to be heated by the exhaust-heat passing from the latter, and means for conveying the material as it discharges from the cylinder, onto the said drying-table.

4. In a drier, the combination with a dryingcylinder, of a drying-table arranged at the discharge end of said cylinder above the latter, and a conveyer-wheel secured to the end of the cylinder and serving to convey the material onto the drying-table as it is discharged from the cylinder.

5. In a drier,the combination with a dryingcylinder, of a drying-table arranged t0 be heated by the exhaust-heat passing from the cylinder and upon which the material is discharged after passing through said cylinder, and a rake movable over the face of said table.

G. In a drier, the combination with a rotary drying-cylinder, of a drying-table upon which the material is discharged after passing through said cylinder, a rake movable over the face of said table, and means operated by the cylinder for moving said rake over the table. K

7 In a drier,the combination with a dryingcylinder, of a drying-table arranged at the IOO IIO

discharge end of said cylinder, a conveyerwheel attached to said cylinder and serving to convey the material upon the table after it has passed through the cylinder, arms on said conveyer-Wheel, and a rake movable over the face of said table, said rake being engaged and moved by the arms on the con veyer-wheel as the saine rotates.

8. In a drier, the combination with a dryingcylinder, of a drying-table located at the discharge end of the cylinder, a conveyer-wheel attached to said cylinder and serving to convey the material upon the table after it has passed through the cylinder, a series of arms on the conveyer-wheel, an oscillating rake moved in one direction by said arms, and a cord-and-weight connection for moving the rake in the reverse direction.

9. In a drier, the combination with a dryingcylinder, of an inclined drying-table upon which the material is discharged after passing through said cylinder, discharge-tubes at the lower end of said table,and an oscillating rake movable over the face of the table and serving to force the material toward said tubes.

lO. In a drier the combination with a drying-cylinder, of a drying-table located at the separated one from the other, substantially 13. In a drier, the combination with a horizontal cylinder composed of three independent sections, a gear-ring on each section, a main drive-shaft carrying three pinions, the two outer ones of which mesh with the gearrings on the two end sections to rotate them in unison, a counter-shaft operated by the central pinion, and gearing between said counter-shaft and gear-ring on the central section for operating the latter in a direction opposite to that of the two adjacent sections.

14. In a drying apparatus, the combination with a rotating drying-cylinder, of a table arranged atthe end of said cylinder, a stack or chimney rising upward from said table and arranged to convey away the exhaust-heat from the cylinder, and a series of transverse slats located in the stack and arranged to arrest the flow of tine particles from the stack, and to precipitate said particles back upon the table, substantially as described. v

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

CLARENCE M. KEMP. Witnesses:

G. LLOYD ROGERS, WM. F. BEISWANGER. 

